


To Cage a Siren

by all_years_lost



Category: None - Fandom
Genre: Albino Character, Attempted Murder, Careful children, Chapters aren't long, Clueless charaters, Confused Cora 2k18, Cora needs to chill, Damian needs Jesus, Everything goes well for five minutes at a time, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Holiday specials, How Do I Tag, Humans, I might do a smut, I'm trying to be funny, Idk how to indent help, Implied Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Insults, Kissing, Lesbians, Mercy is a sweetheart, Mild Cursing, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Language, Nice guy, People of Color, PoC, Princesses, Queens, Romance, Sarcasm, Sass, Sirens, Slow Burn, Starvation, Tags to be added, Teratophilia, This is probs crap, cursing, eventual gay, fishtanks, hi im a writer and my hobbies include not writing, kings - Freeform, mild swearing, more to be added - Freeform, my bad - Freeform, useless lesbian, weird chapter titles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-07-06 02:16:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15876408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/all_years_lost/pseuds/all_years_lost
Summary: Princess Corderina Eriton, a siren and the oldest heir to the throne of Merridell, decides to be spiteful. From there, everything is just a downward spiral.





	1. Corderinda is Angsty and Petty

I watched my purple tail wave in the gentle current. My long black and fushia braids rested against the rock. Taking a deep breath, I gazed up at the surface. Allowing one final moment to appreciate the view of sunlight pouring down to the ocean floor, I pushed my body off of the large rock and grabbed my tiara. The silver metal and opals seemed to mock me. The stones shined so beautifully, I wanted to match their luster. I placed my tiara back on my head while brushing my bangs out of my face and began to swim slowly back to Merridell.   
Picking up pace the longer I swam for, I passed by familiar locations. I venture into the areas outside of my kingdom often, just wanting some time to escape. I saw the top of the Merridell castle emerge from behind the rocks and flora. I look down on myself. My high necked top glinted indigo, a moonstone resting upon my bust. Matching indigo fabrics swirled from my top, wrapping around my torso and swirling in the currents around me. The colors complimented my tanned skin and iceberg eyes in the best way. I sighed, preparing myself for a barrage of questions and greetings, than swam closer.

“Princess Corderinda! The King and Queen is looking for you!” one of the border guards yelled out to me. My mother had put a rule in place to keep me in the confines of the castle, or at least the city.

“Hello, Laphf! Go figure, my parents are looking for me, amirite?” I respond jokingly with a shrug as I swim by, “When no one’s around, just call me Cora! Or Corey!” I shout glancing back at Laphf’s figure fading slowing into the distance. Despite being an adult and the eldest heir to the Merridell throne, my parents seemed to want to control me. The town surrounding the castle was built like spires, the buildings a fuschia and blue color. I could practically hear my mother and father nag me, and I’ve only just began to enter the taller district. My fellow sirens, both male and female, called out to me. Everyone wanted to say hello to the eldest child of the royal family. I had long since stopped trying to sneak in and out of the city. 

I entered the castle through it’s massive doors. The doors were engraved with ornate patterns, mother of pearl, moonstones, opals, and various other gems littered throughout. Most of the castle was designed like this, the floors lined with silver and mother of pearl. Contrary to popular belief, us merfolk tended to use silver rather than gold. As I swam my way through the halls, I mentally prepared myself for a flurry of yelling.

“Corderinda Seradon Eriton! We-” My father yelled. He’s where I got my looks from. His dark hair waved gently with his movements, his tanned skin complemented by his indigo tail. It even seemed that his armour held a menacing glint in his anger. I could hardly bring myself to look in his icy blue eyes. His eyes, normally soft and warm towards my sisters, brothers, mother, and myself, held an unfamiliar anger and worry. He cared. That’s all I needed to hold my backbone.

“Honey, ple-” My mother started. Her hair was a stunning fuschia and swirled around her head and crown. Her much paler skin tones and her aquamarine tail complimented her full lips and violet eyes. A top similar to mine, but with more green fabric and a variscite stone resting at the top. Loose cyan fabric rested on her abdomen.

“Don’t ‘Honey please’ this Eorma,” my father interrupted, turning to my mother, “She’s our eldest, and the heir to the throne. She shouldn’t be sneaking off like this!”

“Mom, dad! I get it! Heir to the throne, I need to act my age. But you have to understand, I feel suffocated by all of this!”

“Corderinda,” my mother started, getting up from her throne, moving towards me, “you know we just want the best for you.”

“Darling, your mother and I,” my father spoke with a soften toned, “we just want you to be the best you can be.” My father’s hand rested on my mothers side. I had no clue were my sister’s were, or my brothers for that matter.

“It’s either Cora or Corey, and I just,” I paused, not sure of what to say, “I need some alone time. Now if you will…” My voice trailed off. I wasn’t sure how to finish my statement. My dad sighed, my mother just glanced at him and moved closer.

“Take as long as you need,” she said, her voice not much louder than a whisper. I gave a soft smile and left.  
* * *  
I rested on my bed, I had only recently gotten my own room. It was late, and I was supposed to be asleep. But not tonight. Tonight, I sneak out again. I wanted to see the stars. Despite being sirens, merfolk who lure sailors with our song and the promise of what that person wants most, my family doesn’t go near the surface. That was a task for our hunters. I was going to change that. I knew that the guards wouldn’t be able to see me well in the dark, anyways. I took a final glance at my wardrobe, pondering if my simple top would be enough. A simple white, loose band with off-the-shoulder baggy sleeves. It was good enough. I swam out my balcony door and towards the surface. I knew the was a nearby rock formation at the surface. That’s where the huntresses lure sailors from. If there is a rock formation in the middle of the sea, it’s not unlikely that there are sirens below. Reaching the rocks, I pulled myself onto the formation. I rolled onto my back, resting on the smooth stone. The gentle lapping of the waves was calming. The light up here was pale and cool, while the light below was warm and bright.   
* * *  
After what I’m sure was hours, a ship appeared on the horizon. I had no clue on what to do, so I sunk into the water. However, my curiosity got the best of me and I swam closer. I had no clue what type of ship it was, but I was taught what ships and boats look like. The human men on the ship yelled something, pointing at me. The ship turned gently towards me, and I ducked below the waves. I stayed near the surface, and watched the boat move towards me. The men yelled something that I couldn’t hear, and a net was thrown beside me. Suddenly, the net wrapped itself around me. My tail covered my face and I was curled up. I was pulled up and out of the water. The net dropped down on the boat’s deck.

“Wh-who? What?” I sputtered out.

“We gotta get this to the king! Just imagine the reward…” one of the men spoke.

“Let me go!”

“Nada chance,” the man laughed. Another man cut the ropes, and I was lifted. Some other guy took me from the first man to lift me. I pushed against him, trying to escape. The men were at least twice as strong as I. The men carried me to a massive tank. They lifted me up and over the side. The tank itself was just big enough for me to fit with some space to breathe and stretch my arms. I pressed my slender fingers against the glass.

“Have fun in there,” one of the men muttered as the trio left the room. Leaving me alone. In a dark tank. I was lonely. And cold.  
* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading and putting up with this bs.


	2. King Jerkface

I woke up and pushed off of the floor. I didn’t remember falling asleep. I guess the gentle sway of the ship lulled me to sleep. Speaking of which, the ship swayed much less now than before. I guess they docked the ship. From outside the room, I heard voices and footsteps from outside. More men entered the room, they dropped something into the water, and everything went black.  
* * *  
I woke up in a smaller tank. In this one, I had just enough space to fit. The small space was illuminated, the only light in the room was the tank. Yet, I could see the whole room clearly, as if it was well lit. No lights were visible, except for the tank’s lighting. The other items in the room where a couch, a table, some other tanks that were empty and dark, then there was a door. A door that creaked open. Light poured into the room, and a human figure stood in the doorway.

“I see you’re awake, little fishie?” The figured questioned. His voice was deep. Something about him seemed… off. He seemed to want something out of me. I felt weird. Was this… fear? Was I afraid? Of him? Some guy that I couldn’t see? The mystery man flicked on a light. I grimace, shielding my eyes. The man had warm, tanned skin. It was clear to me that he was naturally pale, but due to time spent in the sun, had tanned. His hair was dark, golden blond and swept back beneath his gold crown. He was clothed in a loose white button-up dress shirt, and some black clothes I couldn’t recognize. His crown sparkled is the light, red and blue jewels were placed intricately. I could only look at him in disbelief.

“Is the little fish mute?” the man spoke again. I stayed still.

“Well, we can work on that,” he continued after realizing that I wasn’t about to speak, “I am Damian Asher. I realize that your current arrangements aren’t particularly… comfortable. A better tank is currently being built for you. Until then, you stay in there.”

“I am Princess Corderinda Eriton,” I began, trying to look as intimidating as I could with Damian walking towards me, “You cannot order me around!” As he grew closer, I realized I was at about chest height on him.

“Oh Corderinda, I outrank you. I am a king, king of Weston. I am also your savior. I had you dragged out of your useless, bleak existence to be useful. You will live in a glass box for now, but eventually, you’ll be moved to a better glass box! It’s state of the art, where you will swim and be happy - or else - and be the grand jewel of my personal collection! Any guest at my castle will witness you disposing of the village idiots and worthless servants who dare make a mistake! Besides, who is wearing the crown?” He pulled my tiara from somewhere, not that I wanted to know, “I think I’ll put this on display somewhere.” Gross. I could almost see the pride swelling in his chest as he stroked his own ego. I felt my head, my hand meeting only hair. My tiara was missing. Damn. Seeing the shocked look on my face, Damian laughed. I wanted nothing to do with him.

“Please, give me my tiara and let me go,” I spoke, “Or… um… or I’ll place a… curse on you and your kingdom!” It wouldn’t take a genius to realize I was lying and terrified. He more than certainly knew. He was a jerk, but he was smart. And he placed my tiara on a self.

“Well, as entertaining as this is, I have more important things to do,” Damian laughed as he turned and left the room, “Remember, I’m the nicest guy you’ll ever meet!” I was left in the dark by myself again. I turned over, facing away from the glass, and slowly drifted off to sleep.  
* * *  
I awoke some time later, with the feeling of someone watching me. I refused to turn around.

“So all I have to do is feed the mermaid? With what?” a voice spoke. It wasn’t Damian nor one of the men that brought me here. It was masculine, but higher pitched. If I had to guess, this new human wasn’t fully grown. 

“Well, Olvan, she’s a siren,” another voice, I recognized as Damian, spoke, “Just open the lid and reach in.”

“My name is Oliver, your majesty,” the voice now named Oliver muttered. A sound of a latch unhooking followed the statement. I turned my head upwards. My blue eyes were met with the lid of the tank being lifted and a pale hand reaching in. I turned all the way around. Damian stood a good few feet away, and a young adult human was reaching his hand in. This new human had honey eyes and light blonde hair. Oliver had freckles littering his face and what I could see of his neck, chest, and arms.

“Well go on then,” Damian encouraged. Oliver was the type to only wish for his freedom and a simple life. I would be happy to allow him to live. Except one small thing. If he touched me, end of line for him. I lifted out of tank up to my tail, and tried to avoid Oliver’s hand. I growled, baring my sharp teeth. Oliver flinched. I straightened out my back, lifted my chin, and looked down on him.

“For the love of… Just touch her!” Damian yelled. It was clear he was mad that Oliver wasn’t getting too close. It was also apparent that Damian wanted to watch someone die. I interjected with another snarl, looking Damian in his green eyes before Oliver could respond. 

“So what did you do, kid?” I questioned. It was inconceivable that someone could be so cruel to just have someone die for no reason.

“I spilled some tea on him.” Oliver replied.

“Well, Ollie, today just mi-” Then I felt it. I looked down, and Oliver’s hand was on my stomach. Just his fingertips touched me, but due to my sensitive skin, it felt like the ocean’s hottest vent blew hot gasses onto my stomach. I looked up at Oliver.

“You’re cold,” he whispered.

“Don’t. Touch. Me.” I spoke, my lisped voice dripping in malice. Before Oliver could pull his hand away, I lunged forward and sunk my teeth into his shoulder. I pulled back, keeping my teeth in his skin, and ripped his arm off his torso. Blood poured out of the wound. Oliver was in shock, he took a moment before he began to scream. I sunk back into the tank and tore the remainder of his sleeve off the arm, then began to eat. Oliver fell to the ground and some human women ran in, carrying him away. Damian cursed.

“...coward…” Damian continued. I ripped the hand off of the arm and threw it at the horrible king, smacking him square in the face. Damian grabbed the hand off the floor, walked back over to me, threw the hand back into the tank with me, slammed the lid and locked it again. I was fine with it. Damian walked out of the room, shutting off the lights and slamming the door behind him. I curled up the best I could, content with being full and alone. I was tempted to allow myself to drift into sleep, but instead I finished up the arm and hand. The water was becoming more and more tinted red as the blood leaked. After finishing, I just closed my eyes and allowed my mind to wander. With nothing better to do, my thoughts drifted to my family and my kingdom. To think that the last conversation I had with my parents was in an argument. They were right about me straying too far from the kingdom. And my siblings, I haven’t said a single kind word to any of them. I showed disdain for my sisters and hatred for my brothers. By the goddesses, I wished I could take it all back. I wished I could just see them one last time. With sad eyes, I drifted into sleep.  
* * *


	3. Silver the Marshmellow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short upload.... apologies!

I awoke to the sound of the door clicking shut softly. I remained unmoving. Whoever this person was, they were quiet. I only hoped it wasn’t Damian.

“Um… hello?” It was a woman, and by the sounds of it she was around my age. Lifting my head and opening my eyes, I turned to face her. I was met with another pale face, but this one belonged to a lady. She had nearly white blonde hair, framing her face perfectly. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, with glints of pink and purple. A gloved hand was pressed against the glass. Lazily, I pressed my hand to where hers was. I felt stripped of my royal status, so trying to bond with a servant human felt totally fine.

“I’m Silver. Can you speak...?” The woman clad in pink spoke.

“I am Corderinda, but please call me Cora,” I spoke casually. This girl seemed like someone I can trust.

“Nice to meet you Cora,” Silver smiled, “We are going to work together quite a bit. I am under instructions to be a personal maid of yours, to some extent.”

“What do you mean?”

“I clean the tank if necessary, I will give you food if there isn’t someone else to do so,” she listed, pausing only to take a quick breath, “and when your actual fish - er - siren tank is complete, I will bring you to the tank.” With a smile, I laid my head back down.

“Are you hungry, Cora?” Silver spoke after a moment.

“Not particularly,” I replied, “I wouldn’t turn my nose up on the appearance of food, however.”

“What do you prefer? Human or fish?” Silver questioned, taking out something to write with.

“Which is easier for you to get?”

“Fish would likely be.” 

“Then fish is fine,” I closed my eyes again, the bright lights were beginning to really hurt.

“I’ll be back soon,” and with that closing statement, Silver left. I flipped onto my back. I punched the top of the glass box. Nothing remarkable happened. I punched the side of the glass over and over. It began to break. Eventually, it shattered. I slid out of the tank and onto the floor like a wet noodle. I hit the ground with a loud, wet slap. I realized quickly that the glass cut my face and body.

“Well… crap,” I muttered. I hadn’t realized that the air was this dry, I wouldn’t be able to handle this air for very long. I rolled over, face first in a puddle. This would help me last.

“Cora, I- oh my lord!” Silver walked in. She dropped whatever she was holding.

“Hi Silver,” I deadpanned.

“Here let me help you,” Silver began to lift my upper body up, “What did you do to your tank?”

“I - uh - punched it?”

“Why? Cora, now you don’t-”

“I heard glass break! How is this possible with only two fragile ladies in the room?” Damian waltzed in.

“Your Majesty! Corderinda punched the glass -”

“Now now, little lady, let the big, strong, men handle this.”

“Sir! With all due respect -”

“Guards! Put Corderinda in my personal fish tank. Silver, you are stationed in my quarters and you may not leave without my permission,” Damian announced, standing with his legs spread and chest puffed, “You see this stance? This stance says I am the man in charge!”

“Or here are my genitals, please kick them,” Silver muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

“Pardon me butting into the conversation,” I spoke elegantly as the world began to go dark, “but please allow me to pass out.” I sagged into the guards arms and the last thing I saw before the pitch black consumed my vision was Silver’s worried eyes, and her gloved hands wiping water off of her face. I’m not sure how water got on her face, or why it looked like her eyes were leaking.  
* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uggghhhh writing is hard


	4. Horrors of the King's Bedchambers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, throwing in multiple chapters today!

I awoke on the floor of a new tank, wrapped in bandages. My flowy night top was missing. Instead, my bust was covered in more bandages that looked as if they would snap if I moved too much. Around me, there was all sorts of exotic creatures. Even a shark. The bottom of the tank had fake sand and some rock formations, I guess to sorta resemble the ocean? I mean, the glass wall and neon seaweed made this hard to believe.

“There’s my favorite little fishie!” King Jerkface walked into the room, announcing his presence in the worst way. I turned my body around, wanting nothing to do with him. He got me in this mess.

“Awe, does the little girl not want to face her hero because she’s afraid she’ll embarrass herself? Worry not! For I am not judgemental of beautiful girls such as yourself. If you were ugly and/or fat, that’s another story.”

I stayed silent. My only response was swimming to the other side of the tank and hiding the best I could behind fake rocks.

“I’ll let your little pity party play out. If you need me, I’ll be on my bed. If you wanna play…”

I covered my ears. There was no way I was going to allow myself to hear whatever came next. After a few minutes, someone was banging on the glass. I peaked out from behind the rock, and saw Lord Wad knocking on the glass. Silver stood behind him, obviously wanting to chew him out on tapping on the glass. Taking notice of me, the king made the ‘come here’ motion. I stuck out my tongue. The king banged on the glass harder. I begrudgingly came towards him. Silver pulled out a small… thing and held the bucket close. She stepped onto the thing, pushed open a small slot, and began to shovel fish into the tank. I collected as much as I could, hoarding it for myself. I allowed the other carnivores to get as much as they could need, but took as much as I would need. I began to enjoy my minifeast, ignoring the conversation between Silver and Damian. I ignored the two of them until Damian slammed Silver into the glass, taking advantage of his height against her.

“King Damian! This is highly ina-” Silver began to protest, before Damian forced a kiss on her. I swam up to the slot, sliding it open, and dropping a half eaten fish on Damian’s head. Fortunately, the fish also slid down the back of Damian’s shirt. In surprise Damian backs off of Silver, giving her just enough time to leave the room.

“You little -” Damian began to shout.

“What are you going to do? Fight me?” I retaliated. Damian stood speechless. He understood that there wasn’t anything he could do. I took this chance of his silence to look at his bed chambers. His bed was royal blue, and massive. The rest of his room held items I couldn’t recognize. Animal heads were mounted on the walls, various treasures were scattered about, my tiara being one of them.

“I can’t hit a fragile woman!” Damian exclaimed suddenly. He rushed out of the room, which is fine by me. I swam back to my little hiding space and laid down.  
* * *  
At some point I guess I drifted off to sleep, because Silver’s sweet voice roused me from my dreamless sleep. I maneuvered up to the glass to meet my favorite human, not that I have many to choose from.

“I never did ask you, why do you serve King Jerkface?” I questioned.

“I took up this job to help my family. There isn’t much about me, it’s all very mundane. What about you?”

“I’m here because I was kidnapped, and brought here against my will,” I began, “I have a whole bunch of siblings, I’m the oldest, and I’m heir to a throne. Not much else.”

“Oh,” Silver looked shocked, as if she expected me to me a warrior.

“Well, I’m not buying the mundane life story. With a king like Jerkwad, I can’t imagine a day goes by where nothing strange happens,” I joked, rolling my eyes and smirking.

“It’s nothing more than what you’ve already seen,” Silver spoke, “Our king is just perverse, egotistical, kind of… unintelligent sometimes.” It was clear to me that Silver was hiding   
something from me. Fortunately, the fact that I was a siren would allow me to coax the truth out of her.

“What is your family like?” I questioned, leaning forward.

“Oh, it’s just my mother, my little brother and little sister, I work to help support them,” Silver explained, “Do you have any siblings, Cora?”

“Yeah, quite a few. I have five siblings, three sisters and two brothers. I’m the oldest.”

“Oh, that’s a few siblings,” Silver looked surprised. I’m not sure what she expected.

“Well, I am apart of a siren royal family. Anyways, what’s your favorite… color?” 

“Blue,” Silver smiled slightly, “What about you?”

“I like indigo,” with that statement, we stared at each other. Both of just stared, silently. For several minutes. Then a small Cromis, a bright aqua fish, came up to my face. The Cromis   
bumped into my cheek. Silver turned her attention to the fish, and I followed her gaze. The two of us watched the little fish bump into my face. I brought a hand up to cradle the fish, and led the fish down, with a sad smile.

“My father liked indigo, too,” Silver spoke softly. I glanced up from the fish I’ve dubbed Bubbles. “He and I used to watch the stars. He’d take me to the country, and… we’d… we…” Silver’s eyes began to leak again. Her voice went higher and more unstable as she spoke.

“Your eyes are leaking. Why?”

“Huh?” Silver wiped the water off her face.

“Water is coming out of you eyes. Is th-”

“Hello, lovely ladies! What meaningless conversations are you having?” Damian kicked open the door.

“Did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?” I hissed.

“I don’t listen to women. Silver, be a sweetheart and clean up the mess!” Damian demanded, clearly feeling smug, “And Silver, you are not to feed Corderinda.” Silver nodded, walking out of my sight.

“Are you trying to starve me?” I was disgusted, and I knew I looked like it.

“There are ways to fight what you can’t touch, little fishie,” Damian looked so… evil. His eyes seemed to darken, and the brown seemed to go red and with glint with malice. When Silver came back in the room, Damian’s face lightened up and his smug smile grew wider. Silver dropped to her knees, cleaning the eye water off the floor.

“I love it whenever a woman is on her knees before me. It means they’re either praising me, serving me, or servicing me,” Damian said in the most smug tone of voice. Silver’s face flushed bright red.

“I don’t even know what that means,” I pursed my lips and raised my eyebrows. I remember being taught about human biology, but I have no idea what he means. Damian stared at me, the realization falling onto him that sirens don’t share some of the same culture. Silver, still on the marble floor, flushed an even darker shade of red.

“So, Silver, should I call for another mattress to be brought in,” Damian bent down, scooping up Silver’s face in his hand to force her to look up, “or maybe you’d prefer to share with me?” If Silver’s face could get darker, it would.

“N-No thanks! I - um - I’m good,” Silver stuttered out. Maybe this was how Damian controlled his servants, at least the female ones. 

“Well, if you change your mind, do crawl in bed with me,” Damian laughed, striding out of the room. Silver looked down again.  
* * *


	5. The Song to Save Silver

I awoke in the middle of the night. Silver was asleep on a small mattress, without a blanket and in her normal dress. She had only one other choice, either wear the dress or go without clothes. It had been a few days since I was initially moved into the king’s bed chambers, and a day or two after my bandages were swapped out for a tighter fitting, royal blue, long sleeved shirt. The shirt clasped in the front to hold it closed, and went up to my neck and then some. I had ended up ripping of the sleeves. Not much was happening, given that both the king and Silver were asleep. Damian stirred out of his peaceful rest. I faked being asleep. Something about the way Damian smirked in the darkness seemed that he was beyond ecstatic that two women were sleeping in his room. The wad of a king got out of bed and snuck out his bed. Creeping towards Silver, Damian ended up standing over Silver for a moment. He walked to the tank, and covered the glass with black fabric. I swam up, opening the food slot.

“Oh Silver~” Damian spoke after a few minutes of silence.

“King Damian! What are you-” Sliver nearly yelled, getting cut off by something.

“This bed is too hard,” Damian said in voice that matched his personality, whiney like a baby, “Besides, there’s something much harder for you deal with anyways.” I had no idea where this was going, but I could feel Silver’s fear. I began to sing. The words of my song tumbled out, the melody haunting. I heard someone get up and walk to the other side of the room, this person opening a door. Damian began to yell at Silver, before realizing that I was the cause of Silver walking away from him.  
I recognised the sound of the humans’ stubby things hit the ground. Damian ripped the curtains down, obviously pissed that I ruined his plan. 

“You! How dare you!” Damian snapped.

“Hey, why don’t you take a look at Silver. Last time I checked humans can’t plummet to the ground,” I chided, despite not having a single clue as to how high up we were. Damian whipped his head around, giving me time to realize that he did not have any sort of human clothes on. No shirt and no ‘bottoms’ - as Silver called them. Anyways, Damian rushed to Silver, and grabbed her arm. At this point, his action was meaningless because I had stopped singing, and therefore the spell had been broken. Common sense, really.  
Silver shrieked out of surprise, grabbing the nearest item and hit him in the face with it. Coincidentally and almost ironically, the nearest item was my tiara. In turn with being hit outside the head with a relatively small object that weighed close to nothing, Damian screamed in the most high pitched scream I’ve ever heard. His speaking voice is deep and rough and he is to be feared, but his screams sound like a young girl who most certainly cannot cause damage. Ironic. The two guards stationed outside of his room came rushing in at the sound of screaming. I leaned back in my tank, waiting for everyone to leave.

“Get the siren in her tank!” Damian yelled, stomping his stump-thing on the ground and pointing at me.

“But, sire! The tank doesn’t have a lid,” one of the guards stuttered out.

“Then get a lid on the tank!” Damian screeched, “And make it sound-proof! For now, get the siren out of my chambers!”

“Sir, yes, sir!” The guards gave a salute. One guard left the room, the other came towards me and began work to get me out of the tank.

“You on the other hand,” Damian began again, turning his attention to Silver, “For now, you will be locked in a room until we are certain that the violent effects of siren magic has left you.” I decided that, just for fun’s sake, I should get as far away from the guard as possible. Another guard entered the room, this one with a tank full of water. The tank would only fit my upper body, and my tail would be hanging of the side. The guard at my tank reached a hand in, followed closely by his other hand. Given the fact that I had be starved for the past several days, you’d think that he wouldn’t do that. I guess the guards here are just as stupid as their king. There was also no way this guy could get me out of the tank by himself. How dumb are these people?

“Here little fishie, c’mon,” the guard trying to reach for me had no understanding on how sirens work. I pushed myself forward, biting into his wrist with his hand in my mouth. I quickly disconnected the hand from the arm, and decided that I was going to get fed today. The guard yanked his now completely stubby arm out of the tank with a yell.

“You morons! We’ve been starving her!” Damian yelled, as if none of the blame fell on his shoulders, “Call in the specialist!” As if on some sort of cue, whatever specialist walked into the room.

“To get her out, we may need to convince her to come out on her own. This should’ve been plan number one,” This man spoke in a monotone voice.

“Wheylin, have her top removed too,” King Loon added, as if realizing that I had zero issues with not seeing him on a daily basis. 

“Oh no, I won’t ever see you and I have to be naked? Oh whatever shall I do?” I spoke as sarcastically as I could manage. Apparently, Damian missed the story I told where I explained that whenever my dad told me to take off my ‘commoner clothes’ I’d take the shirt off right then and there, and throw it at him. While I was distracted, the specialist used some metal grabby thing to pull me out of the water and into the smaller tank. I did what I had done previously, and lobbed the partially eaten hand at King Greasy Butt-Munching McGee. I hit him in the face. The guards wheeled me out of the room, and the specialist had me restrained so I couldn’t attack. The trio wheeled me throughout the castle, before arriving at a room I didn’t care about. One of the guards unlocked some fancy door, and I was brought through. The room itself wasn’t lit up, but the fish tank was. I couldn’t see much, but glass on the other end of the tank opened to what appeared to be a large, empty space.

“Corderinda, this is where we part,” Wheylin spoke, keeping his monotone voice and the grabby thing to the base of my neck.

“Farewell, Lathered-Up Maggot,” I insulted casually, “Nice knowin’ ya.”

“Bernarr, remove her top,” Wheylin commanded. The guard who I guessed was this Bernarr fellow moved to rip off the royal blue top. The other, unnamed guard held my arms down. Bernarr gripped right where the clasps held the fabric together.

“Aye, Bernarr,” I giggled, “At least offer to buy me dinner first.” With that quip, I began to sing quietly about Bernarr’s greatest desire. He wants to eat a half decent lunch. Wheylin moved the grabby device over my mouth. That’s one way to shut me up I guess. Bernarr tears open the top, and I keep my poker face.

“If I may be honest,” I said nonchalantly, “If this is the worst things get for me, I’m fine with it.” Using the grabby stick, Wheylin grabs onto me again. I laid there limply, like a wet noodle.

“Open the door,” Wheylin commanded. The guards opened the door and pushed the tank aside. I was tossed into the massive fish tank, and hung in the air the same way a stone doesn’t. I stopped myself from going deeper by grabbing a rock, and swam around the new tank to get bearings on my surroundings. The room around me was large and mostly empty, save for a few servants cleaning up what I assumed was construction equipment. The walls were some sort of off-white stone, with gold and marble pillars holding up a second floor walkway. The floor was another white and grey material that I couldn’t place, with gold lines. On the other side was… on the other side of where I entered the tank was a large throne, made from gold, silver, and other stones with grand staircases to match the floor. This was a throne room. The door above me closed, and I was left alone, not counting the fish.  
* * *


	6. Display

I discovered a small space at the bottom of the tank, and I spent days in there. At this point, I had become so weak from starvation that I didn’t have the energy to leave my tiny hidey-hole. It resembled a cave, and my little space was just large enough for me to curl up in. I smelled a human in the tank. I pushed my body weakly, getting myself out of the hole. A panicked man was at the surface. I swam up and grabbed the man’s ankle. Within minutes, the man was just a pile of bones and blood in the water. I felt better, but still tired. As I made my way down, I noticed that Damian was watching. Simply shrugging it off, I swam back into hiding.  
* * *  
Aƒter the continuous cycle of starving for days, then a person thrown in for me to eat and Damian to watch with his advisors and personal servants, something felt off. As if I wasn’t as alone. I heard the door to the tank open, and assumed it meant I’d get more food. I swam up to the surface, My face peeking out of the water and my wet hair sticking to my forehead. In the doorway, another man stood. He wore a long coat and black clothes. Out of one of his pockets, the man pulls a piece of paper and reads aloud.

“Corderinda, I am here to give you this top. You are to put this on, and you are not allowed in the small cave you have been hiding in. You will be on display for noble guests, as well as other royalty.”

“So do I get food or?”

“You will later,” The man seemed quick to leave, already closing the door as he spoke. The man nearly slammed the door. I tossed the new top onto the flat section of a fake rock before hauling myself up too. The shirt - if you could call it that - was gorgeous, blue fabric cut into triangles to cover my chest, swirls of gold covered the triangles, and the chains to keep the fabric on my body were made of gold too. After a few minutes of struggling, I managed to get the weighted top on. I stayed on my little rock for a few moments more, then dove back into the water. I swam down to the bottom and sat there, watching. Servants around the tank rushed to prepare. I knew as a fact that I would be on display. I could tell whatever was going to happen was big. I was going to put on a fun little show.  
* * *  
After hours of me just sitting and watching, King Clueless strided into the room with unthinkable levels of cockiness and pride. Damian walked up to my side in of the tank, placing a gloved hand on the glass. In my mind, the only person allowed to place a gloved hand on the glass of my aquarium is Silver, wherever she is. Damian - who I should really give a nickname to - held a piece of paper to the glass. The paper read:  
~ ~ ~  
Dear Corderina,  
Silver is awaiting her execution. I know better than to allow you to be the one to kill her, so, she will die by guillotine tonight. Please be a dear tonight and at least act happy… or I might just have to feed you the bare minimum for you to live!  
You Belong to Me,  
King Damian Asher  
~ ~ ~  
I sat in my own disbelief. It’s my fault that Silver will die. It’s my fault that this is all happening. It’s all my fault. My own words of discouragement echoed through my mind. Seeing the paper, all of the optimism that I had left was crushed out of me. Damian laughed at my absolutely crushed face. I sat just like that for however long I did. I only realized how much time past when guests began to enter. Men in fancy suits, ladies in oversized gowns. None of them noticed me. I darted behind the rocks, directly in view of the king. With a deep breath, I smiled and swam gentle circles around the fake rocks. Every time I could I watched the activity below. Almost every man and woman looked the exact same. In due time, the room filled with distinguished guests. Counts and countesses, viscounts and viscountesses, and royalty of far away lands entered in. The men all wore either black or their country’s colors, the ladies wore pastels and whites. A select few women wore bolder colors, but not many. The group below took interest in me, and King Waste of Space gesture wildly while speaking. I looked down at the crowd, holding onto the rocks behind me. I met eyes with the most beautiful being that I think exists. A young lady around my age stood on the outskirts of the mass of people, an orange ball gown covering her form. A small crown rested gently on her loosely curled brown hair. Her dress and eyes complimented her skin perfectly. In her hand, she held a glass of a deep red liquid, something I believe is alcoholic. I couldn’t see her eyes from this distance, but something told me that this girl had the prettiest eyes. The mystery lady looked up at me, locking her eyes on mine. The hand holding her drink lowered, and she carefully moved to the side of my tank. I brought myself down to her level, and pressed my tan hands against the glass and the girl did the same. Her eyes were dark brown, almost ink black. The light from the tank gave her eyes a golden glow to them. The two of us stared at each other, before the door at the top of the tank opened. I looked up, and her gaze followed mine. A human was tossed in. I looked back at this girl and mouthed ‘Don’t watch.’ The brunette nodded and turned away. I shot myself upwards towards the human. A sunburnt man with blonde hair. In just a few moments the man was torn to pieces, and the crowd seemed to cheer. The girl in the orange dress looked at me with anxiety and a hint of fear. I sunk to her level and looked upon her with apologetic eyes. The brown eyed girl gave another lady her glass and rushed out of the room. I swam up to the rock formations and lugged my body onto the rock. The people below could only see my tail, but who cares. I stared at where I knew the door was, looking at the reflection of myself. My hair is a hot mess. Attractive underwater, but horrible on land. I unbraided the black and fuschia hair, brushed out my absurdly long hair with my fingers, and re-braided it. I remained on the rock, doing whatever crossed my mind as to what I could kill time with. When I finished my menial tasks, hours later, the door across from me opened, and the girl in orange stepped through. She held her dress up and stepped onto the rocks. Her golden heels were not intended for rocks. I swam to her, pulling myself up and next to the girl. She sat beside me, her legs off to the side and her upper body leaning towards me. She delicately pushed the door slightly closed, open just enough for her to open it again.

“I am Princess Mercy Aldrich of Paelyra, you are…?” her voice was sweeter than sugar and prettier than any song I could sing. A perfect voice for a perfect girl.

“I’m Princess Corderina Eriton of Merridell, It’s nice to meet you!” I blushed and gave her a gentle smile.

“You’re a princess?” Mercy seemed surprised, “I mean no disrespect! It’s just…” She trailed off and looked humiliated.

“Hey, it’s fine. King Greasy Buttface stole my tiara. And kidnapped me. And locked me in a tank that was too small. Then locked me in another tank in his room. Then this one after forcing me to be naked,” I listed off, accounting the horrible things he did, “Basically he’s horrible.” Mercy put her hand on mine.

“That’s… horrible. How could someone…”

“I have no clue. But it lead to meeting you,” I spoke softly, leaning back and hoping the cute girl next to me wouldn’t hear the last bit. Mercy leaned onto me, just in front of my arm with a hum.

“You… are… why?” I questioned. I’ve never been in a situation quite like this. Her warm body against my cold one burned, but I liked it.

“I’m tired from the... things I did today. Besides, I was getting hot and your body is cold,” Mercy spoke, the exhaustion obvious. I placed the hand closest to her on her waist. She moved her hands from the rock around me, nuzzling her face closer. After a few moments, the thump of a human walking could be heard from down the hall accompanied with Damian’s voice. Mercy shot up and scrambled to run.

“Mercy, go! I’ll be fine, may our paths cross again!” I whisper-yelled. Mercy smiled and shut the door. I dove down underwater and hoped Damian is as stupid as he looks. I watched as the door opened, and a guard peered in. I swam to the surface, trying to calm my racing heart. I popped my head above the water, and was met with a guard and King Numpty.

“Corderina! Corey! My little fishie,” Damian began, obviously thinking he’s all that, “Has anyone come by? Specifically a paler girl, with brown hair and a orange dress?”

“No.” I was surprised that he hadn’t noticed the lovely lady who fit that exact description, who was sneaking out of the room in heels. The king stared at me for a few moments too long, before turning around.

“Wilchael, watch her for a moment.” King Window-Licker waltzed over to the door, grabbing something. He ended up pulling my favorite human back into the room.

“King Damian! What are you -” Damian covered her mouth.

“Yeah, that’s great, I don’t listen to women. How would you feel about entering courtship with me?” I watched Damian pin Mercy against the wall. I was pissed.

“Uh… of course!” Mercy wanted to be anywhere but here, “I’d love to be courted by you! And, I, um, would love to spend time with you here! Would you, uh, mind telling me more about your siren?”  
* * *


	7. What is Mercy Doing and Why

The next several weeks I spent drifting around my tank, only breaking the circles to eat and sleep. Should I have been more open about everything? I had no idea what Mercy was doing. She knew what Damian has done, so what was she doing? Mercy was almost always in the throne room with Damian, laughing and sitting next to him on his throne. What did he have that she liked? Day after day, I watched as the two of them laughed. But… something was off. Mercy wasn’t quite comfortable with being that close to Damian. She seemed to want to be far away. Every so often, she’d find a way to get to me, even just for a few moments. We’d talk for as long as we could with conversations that seemed meaningless, but meant everything to me.

“So what’s your favorite color? Mine’s orange,” She’d ask me small questions like this with her response and everytime I fell further for her.

“I like indigo. What’s your favorite animal?” I responded.

“I liked cats, but I think I like sirens more,” She winked and blushed, “You?”

“I think it’s either Manta Rays or humans,” I smiled. These small happy moments were few and far between. Mercy spent most of her time in Paelyra, wherever that was.  
On the other hand, I was getting starved as well as back to a topless state. Mercy occupied Damian’s mind more than anything else, except himself. I got food less and less, and began to lose worrying amounts of weight. At some point I decided to lift myself onto the rock formation. I passed out.  
* * *  
I woke up with a bright light in my eyes, temporarily blinding me. I felt an ice cold table beneath my form, and I heard voices that only slightly registered over the ringing in my ears. Instead of the topless state I was in earlier, I had soft white fabric tied loosely around my chest.

“You’re awake! Pardon me, this light must be horrible. Tell me, what’s your name?” The figure to my right spoke, turning the light off.

“Cor… Corderina Eriton.”

“Where are you?”

“How am I supposed to know? I passed out.”

“You have a valid point. Who is the current king?”

“King dipsh- I mean Damian Asher.”

“Well, it doesn’t sound like you have brain damage,” The figure to my left spoke. The two voices belonged to two men standing over me. The man to my right was easy to recognize. He was the specialist from when I was brought to the big tank. He had greying blond hair, tanned skin, and inky black eyes. Wheylin I think? The other voice belonged to a young woman. She had white hair and skin, with shocking pink eyes. I could tell that she was human, no matter her appearance. The girl had a small name tag that read Elizabete Edleson. I realized that something was in my arm. A tube connected to a bag of some sort of liquid was in my arm.

“You passed out earlier from starvation,” Elizabete spoke, her voice had a sarcastic tone to it, but she was telling the truth, “That is just making sure you aren’t in pain. We fed you through another tube that went down your throat.” Wheylin was off at the other end of the room, doing something at the table. Elizabete got the thing out of my arm and brought over the tiny tank used to haul me around. But of course, the peace of the room couldn’t last.

“Is my little fishie awake?” Damian came into the room, half naked and loud. 

“She is, but we should monitor her carefully, and feed her more often,” Wheylin half-yelled back, not turning around, “Today was far too close to her death for comfort. Besides, the death of the siren we so proudly display would ruin our reputation.” I sat there, confused as to why their reputation is the main concern. Wheylin more or less glided out of the room as King Buttface McGee pranced over.

“Corderina! It was very rude of you to pass out like that,” The king of turds lectured.

“Oh, my apologies! I didn’t realize me passing out from starvation was such an inconvenience to you. Next time I’ll be sure to not starve myself - oh wait. I don’t get a say in that,” my voice dripped with sarcasm and was laced with venom. I lifted my upper body off the table and I was ready to attack. My body shook with anger, which Elizabete noticed.

“Okay! Uh, King Damian, your majesty, why don’t we let Corderina clam down,” Elizabete slipped between me and Damian, “If we aggravate her, she won’t recover.” Wheylin gilded back into the room. He just glides everywhere I suppose.

“Sire, all three of us should leave the room. Besides, isn’t Princess Mercy visiting?” Wheylin advised, ushering Elizabete and Damian out of the room. I perked out at Mercy’s name.

“Why, yes, she is. She wanted to see Corderina face to face,” Damian sounded pretty clueless in this moment alone.

“Well, Corde-”

“Let Mercy in the room. Leave Mercy and I alone, if we are accompanied, I will not cooperate,” I interrupted Wheylin. Any chance for me to see Mercy again was a chance I’d take. The trio of humans looked at each other.

“If you do not attack Princess Mercy, it should be okay…” Wheylin stroked his chin.

“Absolutely not! There is no way I’m trusting this savage alone with such a delicate lady like Mercy!”

“Well then, guess you’ll have to crush her hopes and ruin any chance you have to marry her,” I laid down on my back again, crossing my arms behind my head. Damian grumbled and the trio left. A moment of being alone went by and the light of my life walked in. I shot up and admired her. Her brown hair was pulled back in a braid. Her figure was covered in a pale orange day dress. Simple, but oh so pretty on her. She walked to the table and sat elegantly on the edge. I wasted no time in wrapping my arms around her waist and pulled her into my larger form.

“This past however long it’s been was confusing,” I rested my chin on the top of her head.

“Trust me, it hasn’t been fun.” I grasped her cheek in my hand.

“You always look like you’re having so much fun, what do you mean by ‘it hasn’t been fun?’”

“You’ll see soon enough,” Mercy giggled. Then, she leaned up and kissed me lightly on the forehead. I closed my eyes. The feeling of her lips on my forehead lingered. Opening my eyes, I saw that Mercy had the cutest little blush coating her cheeks.

“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t’ve-” Mercy began to ramble. I placed my hands on her cheeks again, and brought my forehead to hers.

“Don’t be.”

Who knew I was into girls?


	8. Useless Lesbian

Mercy stared up at me, her hands now resting on mine. The silence in the room was light and comfortable. A small smile danced on her lips, I wished we could just stay like this. But all good things must end. The door creaked open slowly, giving Mercy just enough time to stand up.

“I have to go now,” Mercy gave me a sad smile.

“Stay safe, Mercy.” I grabbed her hand and held to my chest, “I hope to see you again.” Elizabete came into the room.

“Princess Mercy, please leave the room so I may feed Cora safely.” Mercy nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. Elizabete walked closer, turning off the humidifier as she went. I hadn’t noticed it before. She got the foodstuffs ready, and placed them beside me on a table. In an instant, her hands wrapped around my throat.

“This is for Oliver.” Elizabete’s grip my throat tightened, cutting off my airflow. The room was humid so I could breathe, but her hands stopped that from happening. I clawed at her hands but she held on strong. Fuzzy black dots began to cross my vision. A door opened, the room began to brighten again. She released me.

“Hey, forgot my coat! Want me to get you lunch?” Wheylin walked in the room.

“A chicken sandwich would be nice!” Wheylin nodded and walked out with is coat. The humidity in the room began to fade out.

“Now it’s just you and me. No more doctor Wheybutt to interrupt us. Me, watching you slowly suffocate while I sit here in sweet revenge…” Elizabete’s voice went dark.

“Please, i don’t kno-”

“Oh forget the formalities! I know what you are, princess or not. You’re a disgusting monster And you know what we do with monsters? We kill them. Every last one.”

“I didn’t choose to be here!” I coughed out, struggling to breathe.

“Yeah, well I didn’t choose to work here. Or to love. Or to come back one day only to find that because my love made a tiny mistake, his arm was eaten off by a beast, the one that is so happily showing off for the other stuck ups the king invites over. How would you like to see me eat your love? How would you like to work for the animal that feeds his servants to thing like you?”

“I hate the king too!” I was suffocating, but Elizabete showed no signs of saving me.

“Oh sure, you hate the king. No, you just hate dying because he wouldn’t feed you enough, and that meant you ended up with the one person in this castle who has the guts to kill you.”

“No, Elizabete, please, I don’t want to be here any more than you. Do you honestly think I enjoy sitting in a box all day? Not knowing how my family is doing? Whether they’re still okay?” I coughed more, trying to breathe in the rapidly drying air.

“You don’t even know love! You just break and break and break, and so there no love left in you. It seemed her eyes were wet too. You just kill everything!” Her eyes began to leak.

“Do you think about the love lives of the animals you eat? Or do you just eat whatever the hell you can find, because you don’t know when your next meal will be.” I coughed and grasped at my throat.

“Well, no becau-”

“Do you care whether that animal had a nice life, or was raised to be eaten, or is slaughtered in the most ruthless way imaginable?” I silenced her. “Please, I don’t want to cause you pain. But when the only meal I get is on occasion I’m going to take it.” I hissed out the last sentence, fear taking hold. At this point I wasn’t sure if I was dead or not. We sat there in almost silence, until I started coughing even more uncontrollably. There was a knock at the door. 

“Elizabete,” a voice called. “Is everything all right in there?” She glanced at me, then at the door. 

“Er, yeah.” She said, Flicking on the humidifier once more. “She’s not responding well to the tube. I’m going to put her under, then I’ll be out.” She grabbed my right arm, stuck a needle in it, and everything started going black. Her hands released me and the humidifier clicked back on.

“Well, we have another siren that came in,” the door swung open, revealing that my youngest brother was the new arrival. Then everything went dark.  
* * *  
That night I stayed awake as much as I could. I was back in the big tank, where I would normally hide all day. I got to keep my loose white top though. After far too long of waiting and falling asleep, the door above opened and something fell in. I swam as fast as I could to the source of the sound. A small siren floated there, seemingly dazed. A siren with short black hair, skin similar to mine, and a shimmering blue tail. A siren I knew had the prettiest green eyes. A siren I recognized as my youngest brother, Neptune.

“Tuna!” I yelled, swimming to my baby brother. He looked at me in shock. I enveloped his body with my own, wrapping my tail around his.

“Cora! What happened to you and where are we?” His voice alone filled me with glee.

“We are in a castle, probably far from Merridell,” I began, keeping his head just below my neck, “I got kidnapped and have been in four different tanks since.” We slowly sunk down to the bottom, resting on the floor.

“I wanna go home.”

“Me too, bud.” I pet his hair to comfort him. He was so young, too young to be in this situation. I drifted into sleep.  
* * *  
A few mores days passed with my brother and I eating together, sleeping together, and talking. It wasn’t quite so lonely here. One morning, the door opened with no food thrown in. Fan-friggin-tastic. This again.

“Where’s the-”

“Food? There won’t be, at least not now. We gotta surface,” I interjected into my brother’s question, explaining the situation. Our faces came up above the water. The man from every other showcase stood in the doorway. I sensed Neptune’s fear and pulled him close.

“Sup Lickspittle,” I greeted.

“That is not my name,” the suck-up pulled out a piece of paper and began to read, “Corderina and Neptune, tonight there will be a showcase. Corderina, you are to stay out of sight for the entirety of the event. Neptune, you are to swim around the tank and remain within sight for the entirety of the event. Put these on, Neptune.” The man tossed in some accessories and shut the door. 

“What…?” Neptune stuttered out.

“Put on the thingies and swim around when people come by, and a lot of humans are gonna be looking at ya,” I explained, sinking back down and reclining. Neptune followed.

“But… why?” He questioned, putting on the armbands and a necklace. All of which is made of gold. I hit the ground gently.

“My showcases are just that, meant to show me off.” I hummed. Neptune sat next to me, plopping his head down where my stomach met my tail. After minutes of silence, Neptune spoke up again.

“Did you get to talk to any of the humans? Other than the servants and king?”

“I got to talk to a few other humans, only one at the castle though.”

“Who?”

“This girl, Mercy,” I knew a dreamy look crossed my face, and Neptune’s eyes looked as if they held stars, “She’s a princess too.”

“Will I get to meet her?” Neptune sounded ecstatic.

“Probably. Don’t quote me on that though.”  
* * *  
“Cora, I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be. My advice is either find the person you find most attractive and focus on that or be and embarrassment to King Dipstick Buttface.” I curled up in the hidey hole, “You’ll be   
fine. Come talk to me if you need to.”  
* * *  
I zoomed out of the hole and to the top of the tank so I could spectate my lil’ bro do his thing. Guests began to trickle in, a certain lovely lady in orange came in too.

“Yo, Tuna! See the brunette in orange? That’s Mercy!”

“Oh la la.”

“She’s mine Tuna, no touchy.” I watched Mercy leave the small space I could see from my place on the rock just by the door. Quite a few minutes later, the door opened, revealing Mercy. Mercy wore the same outfit she did when we first met.

“Yo Neptune! Mercy’s here, come say a quick hello!” Neptune came to the surface, waved a shouted a quick ‘hi’ before diving back down. The little tail-flick he did hit us with water. Mercy laughed and sat down, leaning into me.

“So how have you been, and who’s that little guy?”

“I’ve been half decent, and that’s my youngest brother Neptune,” I draped an arm around her.

“You do know that the people will bid on him, right?” Mercy broke the gentle silence. I jumped slightly.

“Hey Tuna! Get in the hole! Stay outta sight!” I called. Neptune looked at me in confusion.

“The people below are going to bid on you, getting in the cave will protect you!” Mercy called out to clarify. I watched my little brother dart into the hole and rested my head on Mercy’s head. This will be a long day.

“Hey,” Mercy placed a hand on my cheek, “if worst comes to worst remember that I can buy Neptune too.” I sighed.

“I guess I’m just scared I’ll get separated from him.” Mercy wrapped her arms around my neck, brushing away my wet hair.

“Everything will turn out fine in the end. Your situation will change for the better soon enough.”  
* * *


	9. Interception

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've been using Maori and Hawaiian to create a new language. I'll give the translations in the end notes. Also, I'll start to update every other Friday

Mercy had left earlier in the night. We agreed that she’d intercept the bidding, or buy Neptune flat out. I hoped she’d eventually convince the crusty loaf of a king to not sell off my brother. The little prince himself swam around happily, oblivious to the danger he’s in. With a sigh, I wished I was just as naïve. I stared down at his smaller form, careful as to not be seen by the crowd below. Neptune would pop up every once and awhile to smile and say something. He could see it when I was upset. Mercy’s orange dress was obvious against the bland colors from the other nobles. She was talking to King Greasy Scumbucket. Damian was flirting up a storm, at least from what I seen. I didn’t like it. I knew that it wasn’t how she really felt, but it still stirred up a more primitive hatred. Whatever was kicked up within me, it was far more than just disliking it. It was more than wanting someone to leave. Whatever it was was rooted in the primal parts of my brain, and brought both a poisonous hate and a bloodlust to the surface. My face contorted into a snarl, I was more than ready rid the world that parasite. All I needed was for him to get just close enough.

“Cora?” Neptune asked, his little head poking out of the water. He looked so young. Squishy too.

“Hm?” I hummed, my face relaxing and my eyes softening.

“Are you okay? You looked really mad,” he paused to pull himself higher, “is it because the pretty lady is talking to that guy?”

“Yeah, you know know me well Tuna.”

“Why are you mad?”

“Don’t worry about it. Keep swimming now, or we’ll get in trouble.” I poked his nose and he squeaked.

“Oh okay!” His little face beamed, a cute smile spreading across his features. Neptune dove below the surface to swim about again. I went back to watching Mercy. She no longer was talking to King Stringbean. Instead, Mercy planted herself by the buffet while Damian made a speech. At least that’s what it looked like. It was hard to tell. I hoped she was able to convince Damian to keep Neptune. Mercy slipped out of the crowd. Another period of time went by where nothing happened. The door leading to the tank opened and one human I like entered. I couldn’t read her emotions. 

“How’d it go, wae’ano?” I questioned, sitting up and looking at Mercy. Mercy took a breath, and sat beside me with her head resting on my shoulder.

“Firstly, I don’t even know what that last word means. Secondly, it didn’t go as I planned,” Mercy sighed, “I intercepted the bidding, and convinced Damien to let my family take Neptune. My family is strongly against this type of treatment towards sirens, they’ll keep him safe for now.”

“Okay, at least he’ll be safe. Out of curiosity, where is Paelyra? Also, how long will it be until Neptune gets taken there?”

“Many miles south of here, just on the border of land and sea. Neptune will likely come home with me whenever I leave next. That could be up to a month. Where is Merridell?”

“There’s the issue - in relation to here, I have no idea. I remember I was kidnapped by a group of men, and I passed out, then woke up in the first tank. I have no idea where I am in relation to my home. I could easily recognize the rock above Merridell, but…” I felt the depressed expression cross my face.

“By the goddess… if I were in your position I’d be crying and terrified,” Mercy held me closer, my last statement clearly causing her pain. Water welled up in her eyes, water she wiped away quickly.

“What’s crying?” Mercy looked shocked.

“You don’t know what… crying is? Do sirens not cry?” Mercy was clearly puzzled.

“No? What even is ‘crying?’” I made air quotes.

“Um… okay let's see how well I can explain this,” Mercy paused, “Crying is when tears come out of human’s eyes. We do it when we - uh - experience extreme emotions, pain, or, actually that’s about it.”

“What are tears?”

“That’s what we call the water that comes out of our eyes when we cry,” Mercy looked at me like I was a small child. My mind flashed back to when I was in Damian’s tank. With Silver.  
* * *  
“My father liked indigo, too,” Silver spoke softly. I glanced up from the fish I’ve dubbed Bubbles. “He and I used to watch the stars. He’d take me to the country, and… we’d… we…” Silver’s eyes began to leak again. Her voice went higher and more unstable as she spoke.

“Your eyes are leaking. Why?”

“Huh?” Silver wiped the water off her face.

“Water is coming out of you eyes. Is th-”  
* * *  
I snapped back into the present. Mercy’s hands were on my face, her eyes no longer filled with ‘tears’, but instead her eyes held concern. I brought my cold hands to hers, and I moved one of her hands to give her palm a kiss with closed eyes. 

I spoke just above a breath, “Pomaika’i’kia manaakita e te moana, i’ole’ake kaua e mate, kia tiakina e te’ka wau.” My eyes opened. Mercy’s eyes looked like they held the night sky, and her face went pink.

“Wha-what does that mean?” Her voice was soft.

“It’s more or less of a spell. When translated from Olelo, it means ‘blessed by the sea, to never suffer at the hand of water, and be protected by the waves.’ It means you’ll be protected.” I smiled gently, and Mercy grinned largely. The sound of a human moving towards the room was heard.

“I must leave. Goodbye for now,” Mercy whispered.

“Farewell, arohina’ie,” I gave a small wave. Mercy left and pulled the same thing she did last time. The door closed, cutting off what I could hear or see. I laid back down, closing my eyes and splashing water on myself.  
* * *  
After awhile, the door to the tank reopened. I sat up and Mercy walked in again. She looked forlorn again.

“What’s wrong laro?” Mercy cringed.

“Once again, no clue what the means. And what's wrong is… I have to eat dinner with Damian tomorrow,” Mercy frowned and sat down. I was filled with the primal urge to murder Damian once again. I opened up my arms. Mercy understood what I wanted, and hugged me.

“I’d say you can hide in this hidey hole at the bottom of the tank, but you can’t breathe underwater,” I rested my head by hers.

“It’s the thought that counts. I’ll send a letter to my family, and we’ll begin search to find Merridell, an investigation we’ll keep within both our family and certain people in our kingdom,” Mercy pulled away, “I should go, we can’t risk me getting caught here.” I nodded and turned away, listening to Mercy begin to leave.

“Bye Mercy.”

“Oh wait - before I -” I turned to look at Mercy again. Our lips met when my head turned and I had leaned forward, cutting her off. Red coated her face, her eyes wide. The proximity allowed me to see that her eyes held the faintest glint of a rich brown. I was the first to react, jerking my body back, nearly falling into the water.

“Mutui! Mercy I am so sorry I didn’t realize your face was that close I didn’t realize -”

“Cora, calm down. I understand that it was an accident, it just… it just shocked me is all. I know you aren’t the type, to - you know,” Mercy spoke in the type of tone my mother used to calm me down. Mercy hugged me rubbing my back gently.

“Okay, okay, good… good. Go now. The longer you stay the more danger we’re in.”

Goddamnit I love her. How could I not?  
* * *  
After awhile, the ball ended, and the royalty went home. I assumed. I rested at the bottom of the tank with Neptune. My brother rested his head on my chest. We had gotten new clothes, Neptune was in a soft white, short-sleeved shirt and I was wearing a top similar to the one I wore while I slept back in Merridell. A loose, white, off the shoulder top that revealed my stomach. I could feel Neptune slip into sleep, his head falling limp and his breathing evening out. I was left to ponder alone. My mind drifted topic to topic. I wondered about my family and friends. About my kingdom. About this kingdom, and Mercy’s. About the fate of Neptune, Mercy, and myself. My thoughts couldn’t stray from Mercy. Was she really going to start efforts to find my home? Could this be my big break? Could I really go home? But what then? Mom and Dad are gonna be beyond pissed, who knows how they’d react. Besides, how could I say goodbye to Mercy? After all she’s done, I feel indebted to her. My brain racked itself for an idea to thank her. I realized that there wasn’t a whole lot for me to do. I couldn’t make her something, and that’s the only thing I’d be able to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wae’ano(Way-ah-n-oh) - Babe/Baby*  
> Pomaika’i’kia manaakita e te moana, i’ole’ake kaua e mate, kia tiakina e te’ka wau(Po-ma-eye-ka-e-key-ah Ma-na-key-ta E Te Mo-an-a, E-oh-lay-ah-kay Ka-oo-a E Ma-te, Key-a Tee-a-ke-nah E Te-ka Wa-oo) - Blessed by the sea, to never suffer at the hand of water, and be protected by the waves.**  
> Arohina’ie(Air-row-hine-ah-eye) - Beloved***


	10. Siren's Kiss

Eventually, Mercy did get back to me. She began to explain how the little “date” went.

“Then he tried to kiss me, Cora! He didn’t ask, there wasn’t any build-up, I sure as hell didn’t want it, nothing! Went I pushed him away he was all offended as if I’m the bad guy!” Mercy crossed her arms, tears brimming her eyes.

“Lemme guess, he said something along the lines of ‘But I’m a nice guy! You say you want a nice guy, but when I’m nice you hate it! Girls don’t want actual nice guys, no, they just want the assholes!’” I mocked Damian the best I could. It sounded horrible but at least I got a laugh out of Mercy. Neptune popped his head out of the water.

“What do you mean by ‘nice guy’? Don’t girls want to be treated nicely?”

“Tuna, iaro, when someone is called a nice guy or a nice girl, it isn’t a compliment. Typically, nice guys and nice girls are anything but nice.” Tuna made bubbles in the water by blowing air out of his mouth then made grabby hands. I lifted my younger brother onto my lap. Mercy curled up with us. All three of us stayed like that for awhile. Tuna managed to fall asleep in my lap again. The princess beside me threaded her arms around mine.

“Cora, I like you,” Mercy’s face went red.

“Good, or this will be real awkward,” I closed my eyes, “Cuddling with people you don’t like is uncomfortable.”

“No, I mean like,” she squeezed my arm, “I like you the same way I’m supposed to like Damien.” Mercy rambled about how she’s sorry. Her eyes welled up and she got up to leave. I grabbed her arm.

I spoke with a smile, “Glad the feelings are mutual.” Mercy looked shocked. She smiled, and in an instant her lips connected to mine. Our arms wrapped around each other, holding one another tight, as if the other would disappear if one let go. I took lead, deepening the kiss. We parted for air all too soon.

“One moment please,” I said, just above a whisper. I carried Neptune into the little hole at the bottom, placing him inside. Then, I made my return for the service. Mercy made room for me, I lifted myself onto the rocks.

“Cora, I have something you need to see.”

“Can it wait? I just wanna hug you and continue what we were doing.” Mercy smiled.

“We can, just not now,” Mercy opened the door, “I think this is more important.” Someone entered the room. I looked up to see a familiar face.

“Silver?” I leaned forward, “Wait, how much of that did you see?”

“Cora, we have to leave. I’m serving as means of escape. We’re getting you out!” I flopped into the water, essentially slapping Neptune awake. I dragged my brother to the surface.

“Silver, this is Neptune, my brother, Neptune, this is Silver, she used to feed me and stuffs.” Neptune waved. Silver nodded, and wheeled a small-ish tank into view. Both Mercy and Silver lifted Neptune onto the rocks and I followed. The two women aided myself and Tuna into the tank.

“You two comfortable?”

“Yep!” Tuna grinned, I gave a thumbs up. With the combined power of their muscle and the raw power of their hatred of good ol’ Damian Dicklick, the duo pushed the tank that contained Neptune’s sweet face and my fat ass. Most of the ride was uneventful, we avoided almost all the guards, servants, and the like. I kept a hand over Neptune’s mouth, just in case he decided to say something. Silver made small hand motions to signal which way they need to move. Silver pulled a bookcase to the side, unveiling a passage. We pushed through the passageway and made out way throughout the long, twisty halls. Everything went well for roughly five minutes, then the sound of sirens and shouting from the halls.

“Well, we’re screwed,” Silver muttered.

“Not with me here,” I leaned my head back, “I’ll let ‘cha know when to cover your ears.”

“Okay, good,” Mercy sighed, “thank you for having our backs.” I put a thumb up again. We kept moving through the halls.

“This passage way will take us close to the main exit, from there will have to haul it out,” Silver commented.

“I could make ‘em all pass out,” I shrugged. Mercy kissed my ear.

“Cora, let’s agree that you shouldn’t do that. We’ll be fine, I’ll let you know we need that.”

“O’u ahuahu iā o’ko*, Mercy,” I smiled.

With a sigh, Mercy replied, “I have no clue what you’re saying.”

“She said that she loves you!” Neptune piped up.

“We have to focus, I think this moment is really sweet, but,” Silver sounded slightly irritated. We kept going through the halls, until a familiar voice rang through the halls. The one man that makes me want to stab myself in my gut and puke blood. Silver motioned for Mercy to push the tank into a corner and the two lovely ladies ducted into a different, darker corner. I clasped a hand over Neptune’s mouth, pulling him under the water. Damian strutted through the halls, talking about how stupid it was that the two merpeople got out an escapable tank. A poor girl trailed him, noticeably uncomfortable. For some reason, some idiotic reason, neither of them noticed us. Mercy and Silver snuck over and pushed the tank back on track. We continued to move through the halls. Eventually, we reached the end. Silver pushed the wall open, and we went through. It was quick and easy for us to exit the castle, a guard wearing a kingdom seal - not the one from Damian’s kingdom - aided Silver and Mercy carry the tank down and into a wheeled box. Mercy and Silver got into the wheeled box afterward. The carriage left, and I got caught up with Silver. She had managed to escape from her holding cell, found Mercy’s kingdom, they meet up, and they decided to get us out. Every little bump the box thing made caused water to splash up and onto my chest and on Tuna’s face. The small tank grew cramped. Neptune managed to drift into sleep, and so did Silver.

“And then, there were two,” I giggled. Mercy smiled.

“I guess so.” Her hand reached for mine. I grasped it tight.

“How long until we arrive?”

“If all goes well, two-ish days.”

“Why is every on-land transit so long?” I groaned. I earned another laugh. “Glad you’re happy.” I drew my other hand from around my brother, beckoning for Mercy. The brunette leaned down. I stole a quick kiss from her.

“What was that phrase you used earlier? The one in the other language?”

“The language is Olelo. And I said ‘O’u ahuahu iā o’ko’” my eyes closed for a moment, “Why do you ask?”

“I want to learn. Your language, I mean.”

“I’d be glad to teach you.” The two of us went over basics in my native tongue, drifting through greetings, question words and phrases, as well as possessive pronouns. Other basics were included. The hours went by as quick as seconds do. She asked about sirens, and I picked her brain about humans. It didn’t take long for the topic of my English speaking abilities to arise.

“Well, arohina’ie, a very long time ago, some siren loved a human - as cliché as that may be. The siren learned English, taking time to speak to the one she loved most. The human hated the siren, saying they were a freak. The siren decided to put their efforts elsewhere, teaching other sirens this new language. The siren’s descendants honor the efforts of their ancestor by keeping an updating record of English, and royalty is taught English. Royalty like yours truly.”

“So, most sirens can’t speak English?”

“Nope. Just like how seemingly no humans can speak Olelo.” Mercy shrugged.

“Holy… it got dark, didn’t it?”

“It did?”

“You don’t see?” Mercy looked surprised.

“Yeah, no, us sirens can see in the dark exceptionally better than humans can. We live in the depths of the ocean and service at night more often than during the day. We’re made for being in the darkness.”

“Fair enough.” A silence fell over us. Her hand stayed in mine, but her gaze fell to the outside. I shifted into the tank, as to become more comfortable. After awhile, she and I both drifted into sleep.  
* * *  
I awoke much later, the world surrounding me much brighter. Neptune was still sleeping, resting his face near my heart, but Silver was awake. I nodded a quick good morning. Silver smiled. Mercy’s hand still was intertwined with mine, but her head rested on the window. I shook Neptune awake, and the poor kid looked so groggy. I pulled Tuna closer, and he hid his face in my neck. After awhile of silence, Mercy stirred and woke up.

“Morning, sunshine,” I squeezed her hand.

“Good morning,” Mercy rubbed her eyes with a yawn.

“Have we been moving all night?”

“Likely, we have several drivers with us,” Mercy stretched lightly, before settling into her seat again, “I can’t imagine it’ll be too horribly long.”

“I can’t wait to get into a larger tank than this,” for the sake of exaggeration I stretched my arms and tail. Mercy’s face fell.

“It will be a… uh… sectioned off bit of beach until we are sure Damian won’t find you? It’s a tank, or a cage, but it’s an area!” I quirked a brow, but ultimately let it go.

“Whatever, regardless of what you have it’s better than the fleshbag’s incompetence.” The two girls in the moving box thing laughed at my unintended joke. Neptune sat up, groggy and half asleep. Mercy and Silver held up a conversation about the situation and what the chances are of Damian figuring out what happened, while I caught Tuna up to date. He seemed excited to be in the ocean again, even if we were just in a relatively small area of the sea. The remainder of the ride was full of fun conversation, laughters, and jokes.  
* * *  
By the time the sun began to set, the wheeled box came to a stop, and the humans at the front hopped down. The doors opened and the tank was lifted and brought out. Mercy and Silver were helped out of the box thing, in the darkness of the night there wasn’t much of a chance of someone see us. Unless there are humans in the world with night vision like us sirens. Two new knights picked up the box Neptune and I shared and carried it. Mercy held herself boldly, her chin up - looking down the bridge of her nose at the world in front of her - and her shoulders down with a straight back. She looked strong, like a leader that couldn’t be shaken. Silver walked just behind Mercy’s shoulder, her face tilted down - as if she challenged whoever dared to so much as look at her. The two guards walked similar manner to Silver. Neptune and I were brought to the beach, which was shockingly already set up. Neptune slipped out first, not even at the water. He slipped out, falling into the sand and pulling is body into the water. Once his tail disappeared into the ocean, I lifted myself from the glass box and hit the ground. My tail was hanging out of the tank, and I pulled myself into the water.  
Mercy had pulled off her shoes and lifted her dress. One of her hands plunged into the water. I instead brought my face to hers, a centimeter or so from hers.

“Hiya!” I grinned, my hands sunk slightly into the sand, my arms straight and to the sides of my chest. The way I placed my arms forced me to present my upper body, Mercy blushed slightly and kissed my nose. One of my hands rested on her cheek.

“Can I kiss you?” I spoke softly.

“Of course,” Mercy met her lips to mine. After far to little of time, Mercy pulled back.

“Mercy,” I rested my forehead against hers, “I love you.”  
* * *  
For several days, Neptune and I swam around the space. The sectioned off area had platforms for us to have makeshift beds. Glass walls marked the edges of our area, and smallish nicknacks were thrown in for our entertainment. Mercy came out and visited daily, taking up as much time as she could to relax with us. Nothing was stressful, I wasn’t scared, nothing was going wrong for once in my goddamn life. Today, Mercy sat in a simple dress, one intended for playing in the tides. Today, Mercy and I sat side by side in silence.

“My men have come across several locations that might be above Merridell,” Mercy spoke suddenly, “If you and Neptune could follow our ship, we can lead you there.”

“What boat?”

“Look behind you.” I turned around and a massive ship titled the Arcadia’s Wish stood in its glory.

“Oh,” I slid back into the water, “I’ll get Neptune.” I swam to my younger brother, he was playing with a weighted ball. Me coming near caught his attention and he looked up.

“Hi Cora!” Tuna tossed the ball to the side, swimming to meet me. I shared the news and joy bubbled out of him.

“Tuna, let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was a tad bit late, I was out of town!
> 
> *O’u ahuahu iā o’ko - I love you


	11. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Alright, so as you might've noticed, I haven't been updating this. To Cage a Siren is on an indefinite hiatus. I have lost inspiration for this book, although I will likely come back to finish it. For the time being, I'll still update my other story, Genesis, until I find the words to finish TCaS.

Thank you for your patience.


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